1. Field
Example embodiments in general are directed to an apparatus and method for suspending and spinning a spherical object.
2. Related Art
Batting tees have developed over the years, beginning with the conventional static tee, where a ball is placed on top of a solid support mounted vertically on a base, and which supports the ball on the upper end of the column. This static tee in effect provides a stationary target for a batter. The column may be adjustable in height and may be flexibly mounted by allowing flexure should it be struck by a miss-aimed bat.
To better simulate the actual rotation of the ball (such as coming out of the pitcher's hand or a batting machine), batting tees have developed to include a system or device in which a fixed nozzle or tubular, hollow, segment attached to some type of blower mechanism in the device exhausts forced air generated by the blower to suspend and rotate the ball in the air when dropped toward the exhausted forced air exiting the nozzle or tubular segment. In one conventional device, a blower within the device moves a column of air through a conduit through a fixed angular or tubular segment attached to a nozzle, exiting the device through the nozzle. If a ball is placed in the exiting moving air column, the ball will be lifted above the level of the end of the segment/nozzle and will remain aloft so long as the air column continues to move. Essentially, the air column provides aerodynamic lift at the upper portion of ball thereby keeping it aloft. The ball remains at a given height supported by a given volume of air moving at a given speed when the amount of lift created by the air column equals the weight of the ball. The device incorporates jets, elbows, plates and end caps to vary the airflow in the conduit. Similar devices utilize rotating and fixed plates to adjust airflow within a conduit or tubular segment.
Another conventional ball suspending apparatus utilizes a dual directional component air stream to support the ball for striking. The dual directional component air stream allows the ball to be spun according to the desire of the operator. For example, a baseball may be supported to simulate the certain spins associated with fastball or curveball pitches thrown by either left or right handed pitchers, thereby allowing the batter to experience the manner in which a certain type of pitch will react when struck with a bat.
This suspending apparatus also utilizes a stream of forced air to support a ball, and is electrically powered to control a blower motor which creates the stream of forced air by which the ball is suspended away from the apparatus. The apparatus utilizes interchangeable fastball simulating and curveball simulating assemblies, each constructed of interconnected, but different segments of fixed plastic tubing.
A person desiring to practice hitting or stroking the ball first chooses the particular simulating assembly for imparting a desired spin and attaches it a reducer member, then connects the ball suspending apparatus to an electrical power source and energizes power thereto. The ball is then placed within the stream of forced air a few inches from an exit port of the selected simulating assembly, where it is held in a fixed position and begins to spin with increasing speed. After some time, the ball eventually reaches a maximum rate of spin, upon which the user takes a position to strike the ball.
In these conventional ball suspending apparatuses, the tubular segments or nozzles through which the forced air exits are set in one fixed place for suspending the ball, or tubular assemblies are switched out for simulating different spins. Furthermore, these devices utilize a combination of jets and plates to vary airflow through the conduit or tubular segment.